The Fur Animals of Louisiana 185 



Grading Alligator Hides 



Alligators are graded according to size, the measure- 

 ments being from tip of under jaw to tip of tail, a skin 

 measuring 6 feet 11 inches being considered only a 6-foot 

 skin and so on. The prices for these skins were not very 

 high until 1926 and 1927, when good prices were secured, 

 as the following table, giving the average prices paid in 

 New Orleans, shows. The 1928 prices as existing at the end 

 of May show a sharp decline, with the dealers not wanting 

 those skins measuring 2 feet and under. 



Size 1916 1917 1926 1927 1928 1929 



:: 7- oot $ .90 $1.35 $4.00 $4.63 $3.25 $3.50 



6-foot .60 .90 3.00 3.25 2.25 2.00 



5-foot .40 65. 2.(0 2-25 1.25 1-50 



4- oot .20 .45 1.75 2.00 .65 1.00 



3-foot .10 .25 .95 1.15 .35 1.00 



2-foot .05 .15 .40 .50 ** 1.00 



* Hides above seven feet bring the same price no matter the length. 

 **Not wanted. 



To show how the various sized skins come into the 

 market, the following figures from one New Orleans fur 

 dealer's establishment are interesting. This shows the man- 

 ner in which the alligator hides were offered for sale, and 

 bought during the summer of 1917 : 



7-foot 157 hides 



6-feet 305 hides 



5-foot 427 hides 



4-foot 650 hides 



3-foot 775 hides 



2-foot 122 hides 



The dealers say they are reluctant to buy the smaller 

 hides, those under 4 feet, but they claim that when a hunter 

 brings in his skins for sale they must buy his whole catch, 

 as he will not sell a part of it, so they are forced to market 

 the small skins, although they are practically useless. 



That there is a great deal of waste in securing merely 

 the hide of an animal is evident. There is absolutely no 

 use put to about 95 per cent of the living thing that is killed. 

 That there can be use made of the alligator flesh is quite 

 likely. It is said by those who have eaten the meat of the 

 'gator, in spite of the notion that it is said to be too strong 

 in flavor to be palatable, that it has no rank taste, but is 



